


The Grass is Always Greener

by nicoleaf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, In the Veil, M/M, Memory Loss, Memory Magic, Parallel Universes, Post-Canon, Sirius Black Lives, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Veil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-16
Updated: 2017-10-16
Packaged: 2019-01-18 02:45:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12379266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicoleaf/pseuds/nicoleaf
Summary: He reached out his hand to try and find something, anything, to grab onto, but his hand touched nothing but the thick velvet blackness that enveloped Sirius like a woolen blanket. He opened his mouth, having half a mind to scream out for help, but even as his vocal chords jumped, not even a strangled kitten whisper escaped him.Or-What Sirius encounters when he falls through the Veil





	The Grass is Always Greener

Sirius was falling, falling down a dark abyss. He had to clue how long he had been falling, and indeed, he was not sure if there was ever a time where he had ever been not falling. 

 

He reached out his hand to try and find something, anything, to grab onto, but his hand touched nothing but the thick velvet blackness that enveloped Sirius like a woolen blanket. He opened his mouth, having half a mind to scream out for help, but even as his vocal chords jumped, not even a strangled kitten whisper escaped him.

 

Suddenly, Sirius awoke with a start. He was lying on something soft and downy. Hadn't he just been falling? “You're lying on a bed.” His brain supplied. His mind was foggy and the bright lights coming from the ceiling nearly blinded him as he blinked the sleep dust out of his eyes. 

 

He felt a soft pressure on his forehead, through his hazy vision he was able to make out the blurry outline of a smiling man. “Remus,” his brain reminded him. Remus, yes Remus, how could he forget Remus? He loved Remus, he was suddenly so sure of that fact, more sure of anything else in the entire world. He  _ loved _ Remus, he thought, suddenly aware of the slight weight around one of his fingers.

 

With a groan, Sirius rolled out of the soft cocoon of blankets he had been wrapped in, taking the hand Remus offered him, and allowed himself to be guided down a long hallway to a sunnily lit kitchen where a familiar looking boy sat at the table. “Harry,” his mind insisted, “Harry.” But hadn’t Harry been older the last time Sirius had seen him? Something was nagging at Sirius, he was nearly positive that Harry had been 15 at some point, but this Harry looked no older than twelve. 

 

“Uncle Sirius! Come sit by me!” The younger Harry demanded, quickly placing a hearty portion of eggs and bacon on a plate before signaling for Sirius to take a seat. Hesitantly, Sirius took a seat and delicately ate a small bite of eggs. It was good! Had he always liked eggs? He couldn’t seem to recall ever trying them before, but the rational part of his mind told him that he ate them nearly every day. Brushing the thought aside, Sirius began to shovel the eggs into his mouth, suddenly feeling as if he had not eaten for well over a year. 

 

“Slow down, love,” Remus laughed. “Wouldn’t want you to choke on Harry’s first day of school.” A soft affectionate smile made its way up the man’s face, laughter lines crinkling like tissue paper to emphasize the amused glimmer in his eyes. 

 

“Uncle Moony!” Harry whined with a pout, arms crossing over his chest in an attempt to look menacing. He was wearing pajamas that were a bit snug around his chest, and hung a little high above his ankles. It occurred to Sirius to question this, seeing as how for as long as he thought he remembered, most of Harry’s clothes hung off his lanky frame as if another, much larger boy had used them before Harry. However, now Harry appeared to be a healthy weight for his age, and not at all like the borderline malnourished teenager  who had only recently begun eating right that Sirius couldn’t get out of his head.

 

“It’s not  _ really _ my first day.” Harry said with the kind of eyeroll only a kid rapidly approaching teenagedom can truly master. “I’m a second year! My first day was  _ last  _ year.”

 

Sirius couldn’t help but chuckle at his godson, godson, yes, that’s what Harry was to him, a godson and nephew, the only child of his two best friends, Lily and James Potter.

 

“I hope you’re not too disappointed your parents are missing your first-” Remus stopped, “I mean second-” he amended with a wink, “first day of school” Remus smirked at Sirius as if this was some joke only the two of them were privy too.

 

“It’s ok,” said Harry, “Mum said that she and dad would bring me back something special! I hope it’s the Nimbus 2001!”

 

Forcing himself to think, Sirius was able to recall that James and Lily where in America. Lily was working to create an exchange student system between Ilvermorney and Hogwarts in order to create a wider global understanding of magic in different countries. James was in turn researching Ilvermorney’s founders for a new book. James wrote a lot of books didn’t he? Without meaning to, Sirius’ eyes were drawn to a large bookshelf in the living room where  series of books sat proudly, emblazoned with the name “James Potter” in bright blocky letters. James usually wrote fiction, he remembered, but dabbled in historical nonfiction due to the influence of Lily. Funny how that had slipped his mind. 

 

Sirius was snapped back into reality by the sound of Remus’ voice. “Are you excited to see your friends again?” The man asked, twirling his wand and causing Harry’s trunk to float gracefully down the hall into the kitchen. 

 

“I’ve seen Ron basically every week this summer,” Harry said with a shrug. “But we can’t wait to see ‘Mione and Luna again! Neville is finally back from his trip to the alps with his family, and-” Harry suddenly began to blush, taking on a color not unlike a ripe tomato, “-and Draco can finally hang out with us again since we’ll be at school.” He finished.

 

Distantly, it occurred to Sirius that he should not completely approve of this “Draco,” but he also recalled Remus chastising him about not judging people based on their family members. He remembered the pointed look that Remus had given him, and he was filled with memories of being the odd one out, of people judging him based on his family. Hadn’t James and Remus given him a shot? Sirius seemed to recall someone named Peter as well, but that he had left their friend group sometime during their third year at Hogwarts. 

 

The longer Sirius talked and listened to his husband and their godson, the clearer his mind became. How silly was he that he should nearly forget everything about his life. Perhaps it was just something he had eaten for dinner the night before. Harry, Remus, and he had eaten out the night before at a new restaurant in the heart of London. He had eaten a nearly raw hamburger, maybe that was what was causing the strange feelings and dysphoria he was experiencing. Food poisoning, that was it.

 

The small family finished their breakfast, and Remus and Sirius used magic to move everything to the car. It had nearly slipped Sirius’ mind that he was a wizard, how silly was that? Sirius couldn’t imagine living in a world where he couldn’t use his magic, or worse, wasn’t even a wizard. With a shake of his head, Sirius got into the driver's side of the car as Remus gracefully slid into the passenger's side, and Harry clambered into the back, armed with a spare bag and the cage that held his pet owl, Hedwig.

 

The ride to King’s Cross was relatively uneventful, mostly dotted with slivers of conversation and the occasional teasing directed at Harry. Sirius teasingly asked if Harry had anyone special on his mind, which left Harry a sputtering and blushing mess, indignantly stating that he couldn’t even go to Hogsmeade until he was a third year.

 

“Never stopped us.” Chuckled Remus, a warm smile on his face as he gazed lovingly at his husband, taking his hand and stroking his ring finger.

 

“Aw Moony, don’t give the boy any ideas, Lily will have our heads!” The black haired man chuckled, happiness surging throughout his entire body. He didn’t know if he had ever felt quite so happy before, the feeling touched every part of him, every fingernail, every eyelash, every cell, it was all filled with love and contentment. 

 

“Every idea we give him, he and his friends have probably already thought of.” Remus smiled, the light catching his eyes in a way that made Sirius want feel uncharacteristically like swooning. It was hard to believe how only that morning he could have sworn he was falling. Everything made sense now, and it was astounding to him that he had doubted the truth, his reality, even for a moment.

The small family walked slowly through Kings Cross,  leisurely making their way to platform 9 ¾, where Harry was immediately swarmed by the sea of ginger known best as the Weasley family. Hermione ran up to them after a few minutes with Luna in tow. The friends chatted excitedly as a small, white-blonde boy approached them with a little hesitation. Harry eagerly ushered him into the group of children, and the large group of people began to walk through the barrier. 

 

The children began to board the train, luggage in tow. Just as the train was preparing to take off, Sirius quickly wrapped his godson in his arms for a final hug. Harry made muffled protest at being hugged in front of his friends, but relaxed when Sirius drew back, kneeling so as to be eye level with his young godson. 

 

“I’m so glad you are my godson, Harry, and I’m so very glad that I get to have you in my life.” Sirius said with a soft smile, he wanted to cry, although he wasn’t entirely sure why. He had dropped Harry off for Hogwarts before with no problem, no tears shed, and only a warm smile, a hug, and a ‘See you next break.’

 

“I’m happy you’re in my life too, Uncle Padfoot.” Harry said, giving in and hugging Sirius before turning around and running towards the train, eager to catch up with his friends. Sirius watched as Harry raced past the windows, before stopping, and blushing such a brilliant red that Sirius and Remus could see it plainly from their place on the platform, and slowly sitting beside the blonde haired Malfoy boy and across from Ron and Hermione. Luna and Neville soon joined them, and the train began to take off, a shrill whistle echoing through the air. 

 

“They grow up so fast.” Sirius laughed, starting to laugh happy tears.

 

“Before you know it he’ll be married.” Remus remarked remarked with a smile, elbowing Sirius in the ribs in an attempt to get him to stop his laughing, which was beginning to draw some attention.

 

“I love you.” Sirius said, looking over at his husband, love shining in his eyes as the two lovers entwined their hands together. “I love you too.” Remus replied, walking in time with Sirius as they idly walked about the platform, stopping occasionally to wave at old friends from their own years at Hogwarts, now grown, many with their own children now attending the school. Sirius gazed out at the bustling platform, filled with people from all walks of life. The vibrant scarlet of the slowly shrinking train in the distance, the robin’s egg blue of the sky, the house colors many still proudly wore blurred together into a symphony of color. Everything was loud, and bright, and beautiful. Even the splashes of black that dotted the crowd couldn’t compare to the deep inky blackness that Sirius remembered in the back of his mind, although for the life of him he could not remember where from.

As the station began clearing out, Sirius and Remus stopped for a moment, sharing bites of candy floss as they exchanged soft smiles. Everything that had led up to this moment was worth it in their mind. And so, hand in hand, the two wizards made their way through the barrier separating the magic and muggle worlds, blissfully oblivious to the world around them. 

 

“Did you ever think we’d end up like this?” Sirius asked, turning head to stare off into the distance. Remus lifted his hand to gently turn his husband’s face towards him. 

 

“Of course I did, I always knew.” Remus grinned, eyes alight with some unnameable emotion. 

 

“I love you, Moony.” Sirius said, tightening his grip on Remus’ hand, giving it a slight squeeze before leaning in for a soft kiss.

 

Breaking the kiss, Remus smiled and easily replied, “I love you too, my Padfoot.”


End file.
